MVRDV近期完工的「河樂廣場」，是一座綠意盎然的潟湖親水公園，前身為台南市中心的舊商場「中國城」。原「中國城」拆除後，工程團隊費盡心思將建材進行回收再利用，樹立了循環經濟的最佳創新典範。原商場的地下停車層搖身一變成為下凹廣場，作為主角的都市潟湖周圍環繞著茂盛的原生種植物與遮陽通廊。潟湖經過精心規劃，確保一年四季都能作為完美的聚集場域：水位隨著乾濕季的降雨量變化起降；天氣炎熱時，則利用噴霧降溫，提供民眾涼爽的環境，也節省夏季的冷氣使用。空間運用上，可兼作兒童遊樂區、群聚空間及表演舞台；而建物的混凝土架構經過藝術化的解構，保留未來可供再利用為店面、小攤及其他設施的亮點。

此外，地下二樓遺構的一部分以玻璃樓板外露，讓來訪民眾一窺基地的過往，緬懷舊商場在府城史刻畫的印記。有別於以往全面拆除新建的慣用作法，將遺跡保存下來：舊商場的基礎結構有如羅馬競技場般突露在園區與潟湖中，為當時關閉海港改建商場的決定留下視覺標記。

MVRDV的創辦主持人韋尼．馬斯（Winy Maas）說：「我們的靈感來自城市的歷史脈絡，不論是原來的森林亦或是水文，都是重要的啟發來源。台南是一座灰色的城，我們盡可能在每個角落重新引入森林，城市再次得以和周遭的地景交融。重新帶入綠意是我們的整體規劃上的一大主軸，這點可由海安路的植栽區一窺端倪。我們模仿台南市東側的天然景觀，混栽原生物種。我相信這將為城市帶來長遠的效益。」

MVRDV completes The Spring, a lush lagoon and park in the preserved ruin of a mall in central Tainan, The China-Town mall.

The China-Town mall has been removed and meticulously recycled, making the project an innovative example of the circular economy. The mall’s underground parking level has been transformed into a sunken public plaza dominated by an urban pool and verdant local plants and surrounded by a shadowed arcade. The pool has been carefully planned to be a perfect gathering spot for all seasons: the water level will rise and fall in response to the rainy and dry seasons, and in hot weather mist sprayers will reduce the local temperature to provide welcome relief to visitors, reducing the use of air conditioning in the summer months. This space hosts playgrounds, gathering spaces, and a stage for performances, while the artful deconstruction of the building’s concrete frame has left a number of follies that can in due course be converted to shops, kiosks, and other amenities.

In addition, a portion of the structure of the second basement level below has been exposed with a glass floor, allowing people to further understand the history of the site and appreciate the former mall as an important part of Tainan’s history. This new way of preserving heritage meant that the site was not cleared and renewed in a tabula rasa approach – instead the foundations of the former mall stick out of the park and the lagoon like a contemporary Roman Forum, offering a visual marker of the historical decision to close a port in favour of a mall.

“Inspired by the history of the city, both the original jungle and the water were important sources of inspiration. Tainan is a very grey city. With the reintroduction of the jungle to every place that was possible, the city is reintegrating into the surrounding landscape. That the reintroduction of greenery was an important thread in our master plan can be seen in the planting areas on Haian Road. We mixed local plant species so that they mimic the natural landscape east of Tainan. I think the city will benefit greatly from this.” says Winy Maas, founding partner of MVRDV.